NFL: Baltimore Ravens' defense manhandle the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans, Louisiana - The Baltimore Ravens' defense was at its suffocating best as they sucked the life out of the New Orleans Saints in a 27-13 win during NFL Monday Night Football.
New Orleans could only muster six points until their first touchdown came with four minutes remaining in the last quarter, with the game already put to bed.
The Ravens did it by shutting down Alvin Kamara and the Saints' rushing attack, limiting the star running back to nine carries for 30 yards and three catches for an additional 32 yards.
In doing so, they forced quarterback Andy Dalton to beat them from the pocket, and he could not deliver. He ultimately finished with a respectable stat-line, completing 19 of 29 passes for 210 yards and one touchdown, but that masked his struggles.
Dalton was sacked four times, with two-and-a-half of those being credited to edge-rusher Justin Houston, and threw a fourth-quarter interception – also to Houston, off a deflection – when his side was only down 14 and still had a chance.
The Ravens struggled similarly throwing the ball, with Lamar Jackson only tallying 133 passing yards from 12 completions, but their ground attack was unstoppable.
Jackson himself carried the ball 11 times for 83 yards, and with starting running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards both missing through injury, Kenyan Drake stepped up for 93 yards and two touchdowns from 24 carries. It led to over 37 minutes of ball-control for the Ravens, with the Saints having just 22 minutes.
The Ravens are now alone atop the AFC North with a 6-3 record, while the Saints drop to 3-6, but remain just one win behind the NFC South-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5).
Cover photo: REUTERS